BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Moyo, a 6-year-old rhino at the Birmingham Zoo, has died.
Moyo, an Eastern Black Rhinoceros who first came to the zoo in June 2022, was euthanized Friday following a procedure the day before that left him unable to walk.
According to the Birmingham Zoo, Moyo underwent a dental procedure on Thursday, Jan. 25. While Moyo was unconscious, a member of the Southeast Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation collected semen from him as part of a project to impregnate another rhino. Zoo officials say both procedures went normally.
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However, after coming out of surgery, Moyo was not able to stand up. Zoo officials say that Animal Search & Rescue of Kansas and Weil Wrecker Service attempted to lift the rhino on its own legs. However, these efforts were not successful.
“After two days of heroic efforts by dozens of animal experts, Moyo was still unable to stand and there was nothing left that we could do to help him,” a statement from Birmingham Zoo read. “Moyo was euthanized late Friday night, January 26. Our vet team will continue to search for answers for what happened to Moyo so we can learn from this tragic event.”